Message from the Chairperson - Volume21 June2020 - CACCI
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Volume 21 June 2020
Message from the Chairperson
Dear friends,
It was way back in 2006 when The Economist asserted that women are “the world’s
most underutilized resource”. Today in 2020, when the world has been moving to make
things better for women, we still have a long way to go in terms of utilizing the capabilities
of women.
According to a Mckinsey Report, bridging the Gender Gap at workplace could
increase Indian GDP by 60 percent in 2025.
Economic empowerment is the most crucial aspect for any significant thrust towards
making women equal partners in any given community. It is not just an obligation but a
very crucial and strategic step with huge economic dividends.
It is directly connected with reducing poverty, improving health, increasing literacy
rates, and resulting in faster development of the nation. Therefore, it is imperative that we
invest in creating women entrepreneurs and give them an enabling and conducive
environment.
In March 2020, the world, as we knew, had changed and in these unprecedented pandemic times, sustainability has
taken center stage. Indeed, it is only women's sustainable livelihood that can lead to her empowerment and only women's
economic empowerment that can lead to an equitable society.
CACCI Women Entrepreneurs Council (CWEC) has played a significant role in the development of the women in the
Asia-Pacific region. CWEC was formed as one of the Product & Service Council of CACCI to promote economic
development and for enhancing the growth for women.
It will not be an easy journey this year but it will be an exciting journey to create opportunities through the challenges
and I am sure we will be able to continue the journey of changing lives and empowering women in a meaningful way through
CWEC.
Established in 1966, CACCI is the leading private sector organization in Asia with a membership base from 27 different
countries of the world.
It maintains an active relationship with Eurochambers, representing enterprises in 45 European countries. More than
90% of these enterprises are Small or Medium Enterprises.
CACCI also has strong relationships with the Federation of Gulf Council Chambers of Commerce (FGCCC), whose
membership includes the Gulf Arab States of the Kingdom of Bahrain; State of Kuwait; Sultanate of Oman; State of Qatar;
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and the United Arab Emirates.
CACCI also works with Junior Chamber International, a worldwide federation of young leaders and entrepreneurs. All
these associations provide CACCI members the opportunity to network with local, regional, and international chambers from
various countries, and to also participate in various programs and projects that facilitate trade and market access between
different regions.
The young enthusiastic modern women with a global perspective can take advantage of the partnerships and
associations of the entire chamber network of CWEC for business growth and progress.
CACCI represents a huge networking and business promotion opportunity to leverage the network of chambers of
commerce and Industry in the Asia Pacific and with an outreach of thousands of enterprises, from SMEs to large
conglomerates in the region.
Times are difficult but the show must go on and we are now understanding and accepting that going digital is the new
working order today. This year we are doing the 13th edition of IWEC Awards virtually, hosted by Bahrain. We look
forward to the active participation from women entrepreneurs from across the globe and urge them to apply for the
prestigious Awards.
With warm regards,
Mukta Nandini Jain
Chairperson CACCI -WEC Taiwan
Past President, FLO (2006-07)
TAITRA seeks to empower women entrepreneurs
By Flor Wang and Liao Yu-yang
I n a bid to tap the full potential of women
entrepreneurs, Taiwan External Trade Development
Council (TAITRA) is set to organize for the first
time a trade promotion delegation exclusively composed
The Declaration on Trade and Women's Economic
Empowerment was launched in a WTO ministerial
meeting in Buenos Aires in December 2017 so that
members can collaborate on making trade policies more
of female entrepreneurs in 2020. gender-responsive, share experiences to encourage
women's participation in trade, and collect data to better
understand connections between trade and gender.
The delegation is scheduled to visit Australia, New
Zealand and Indonesia as part of TAITRA's efforts to
help women better explore foreign markets and gain a It was the first time in the WTO's history that its
greater role in Taiwan's foreign trade in line with the members and observers endorsed a collective initiative to
government's policy and a World Trade Organization remove barriers for women and foster their economic
(WTO) declaration, TAITRA said. empowerment.
The three countries are covered by the In 2018, there were 1.466 small- and
government's New Southbound Policy, which has been medium-sized businesses in Taiwan, around 37 percent
broached by the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen of which were owned and run by women.
after she assumed office in May 2016, to boost two-way
trade and investment with countries in Southeast Asia,
South Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. Meanwhile, TAITRA is also seeking to organize a
delegation of indigenous business people to visit New
Zealand, based on an economic cooperation agreement
The reason why these countries were selected is (ECA) inked by the two countries in 2013.
simply because there have been relatively few
promotions targeting them, TAITRA said.
In 2019, products manufactured by Taiwan's
indigenous people were showcased for the first time at
If satisfactory results are obtained, more the Te Papa Museum in Wellington for two weeks,
delegations of women entrepreneurs will be formed to paving the way for future exchanges, according to
explore other overseas market, said Chiu Hui-li, chief of TAITRA.
TAITRA's Market Development Department.
2
Products made by Taiwan's indigenous people & Beverage Asia 2020 in Singapore from March 31-
were also displayed at the Taiwan Expo held in 2019 in April 3, among others, it said.
other countries covered in the New Southbound Policy,
and such exhibitions will continue into 2020 at the Taipei
International Food Show in June, Kaohsiung Food Show Focus Taiwan
in October, Foodex Japan 2020 in March, and FHA-Food
Georgia’s women entrepreneurs get finance boost
T he International Finance Corporation (IFC), a
member of the World Bank Group, has
announced a long-term local currency loan of 100
million Georgian lari (around 35 million US dollars) to
the Bank of Georgia to help boost access to finance for
the local currency facility from IFC will further
strengthen our position as a leading local currency lender
in the Georgian market and enable us to increase lending
to the MSME business segment, where we see significant
opportunities. The Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity
smaller businesses and women entrepreneurs. The Facility is an important tool that will help us boost our
investment is supported by the Women Entrepreneurs support to female-led enterprises.”
Opportunity Facility, a pioneering global initiative by
IFC and the Goldman Sachs Foundation to expand Jan van Bilsen, IFC regional manager for the South
access to capital for women entrepreneurs. Caucasus, added: “IFC is working with Bank of Georgia,
our long-standing client, to help expand access to local
Access to finance is the second most-cited problem currency financing, which is critical for the growth of
for businesses in Georgia, according to the World smaller businesses. Those businesses are the engines of
Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index economic growth and women entrepreneurs are
2017-2018. While small and medium enterprises (SMEs) especially underserved. We aim to ensure all smaller
make up the majority of Georgian businesses, they firms get the access to finance they need to grow, create
receive only about 20 per cent of bank lending. IFC jobs, and drive economic growth.”
estimates the total finance gap for SMEs in Georgia at
2.1 billion US dollars, with demand from women-owned The Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity Facility
enterprises accounting for 43 per cent of the gap, was launched by IFC through its Banking on Women
according to the 2017 MSME Finance Gap Report. programme and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women in 2014.
To date, IFC has invested 1.4 billion US dollars and
IFC’s investment aims to address this by helping reached 53,000 women entrepreneurs in emerging
Bank of Georgia expand its crucial local currency markets through the facility.
lending to micro, small, and medium enterprises
(MSMEs), with a quarter of the loan earmarked for Emerging Europe
women-owned businesses.
Archil Gachechiladze, Bank of Georgia CEO, said:
“Amid further de-dollarisation of the Georgian economy,
3
Philippines ranks No. 1 for women’s growth in work force
in global index
F avorable entrepreneurial framework and
conditions characterized by high levels of support
for small and medium enterprises (SME), ease of
doing business, and access to financial services and
academic programs are typically the key factors for
middle income and similar lower middle-income markets
across different regions, including nine other markets
from Asia-Pacific. The index noted that in the country,
financial support rendered for SMEs is quite weak. This
is indicated by gender gap in access to financial services,
women advancement in business. Such is reaffirmed in perception on physical infrastructure, and accessibility,
The Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs 2019 range and effectiveness of government programs.
(MIWE) through the findings for high-income countries Nevertheless, the Philippines was noted for being one of
like the US, New Zealand and Canada. The Philippines, the markets with the least gender divide when it comes to
however, stood out as a promising market showing that borrowing, or saving for business.
women in less wealthy and developed economies can
still thrive in entrepreneurial businesses.
Lack of enabling entrepreneurial conditions
Out of the three components of the index,
“Supporting Entrepreneurial Conditions” saw the lowest
evaluation of the Philippines at rank 38. This gauges how
supporting entrepreneurial conditions are either enablers
or constraints of women business ownership through four
indicators: ease of doing business, cultural perceptions of
women entrepreneurs, quality of governance, and
entrepreneurial supporting factors.
This part of the index was dominated by wealthy
Strong representation of women in the Philippine and developed countries in North America US. and
workplace Canada) and Europe (Switzerland, Canada, Denmark, the
UK and
Ireland) where highly supportive entrepreneurial
Ranking first out of 58 economies for the first conditions appear to play a role in advancing women’s
component, “Women’s Advancement Outcomes,” the ability to thrive in business. These countries have
Philippines stood out in terms of women’s ability to business environments that generally encourage and
thrive as business leaders, professional and technical support entrepreneurial success, risk taking, creativity
workers, entrepreneurs, and labor force participants. and innovativeness, and individuality.
Three other markets in Asia-Pacific joined the
Philippines in the top 10 ranks: Thailand (rank 4),
Vietnam (rank 7) and New Zealand (rank 10). The Philippines: A promising outlier for women in
business
The index also highlighted that Filipino women are
fairly represented in the work force, with 52 percent of To finally round up its ranking, the index
business leaders and 58.2 percent of professional compounded all components for each of the 58 markets.
workers being female. Filipino women were also found High-income, innovative and well-developed economies,
to be just as likely as their male counterparts to go into such as the US, New Zealand, Canada, Israel, Ireland,
entrepreneurship. Taiwan, Switzerland, Singapore, the UK and Poland
topped the overall ranks as these countries have also
secured the better ranks for each component of the index.
Limited access to education and funding This then reaffirms that markets with highly favorable
entrepreneurial frameworks and conditions tend to drive
Unlike the previous metric, the Philippines was not women toward entrepreneurship. However, the
able to join other Asia-Pacific markets in the top spots Philippines also proved that women in less wealthy
for “Knowledge Assets and Financial Access. This economies are able to overcome infrastructural
component of the index gauges women’s progress and shortcomings as it broke the streak of high-income
the degree of marginalization they face as financial countries at rank 11.
customers and academically in terms of opportunities to
enroll in tertiary institutions, women’s inclination to While the Philippines was part of the lower
borrow, or save for business, and support rendered for rankings for “Supporting Entrepreneurial Conditions,”
SMEs. Among all 58 countries evaluated, the Philippines this was balanced out by having topped all 58 countries
at rank 20 lagged behind a mix of high income, upper for “Women’s Advancement Outcome.” The Philippines,
thus, reached a high overall ranking as it was able to women in mind, and in such a way that allows for
enter the upper half of rankings for “Knowledge Assets inclusive growth in business. By ensuring that all women
and Financial Acces.” in the country can access financial resources such as
bank accounts, credit and insurance, and sufficient
education, the Philippines will be able to foster a more
While these evaluations give insight on how supportive environment for entrepreneurship and
promising the entrepreneurial framework in the empower women with the right tools and mindset to
Philippines already is, the MIWE results also show how proactively pursue business.
the balance of different factors can contribute to an even
better environment for women in business. It shows the
importance of designing policies and solutions with Business Mirror
10 ASEAN women entrepreneurs to receive 78 linkages
through AJWELP
By Aaron Wong
The ten AJWELP finalists with DARe CEO Javed Ahmad (R) and
ASEAN-Japan Centre Secretary General Masataka Fujita (L).
2
4 businesses and agencies pledge support to help beverage, hospitality, advertising, banking and
women-led businesses from the region grow technology.
Ten promising women entrepreneurs from ASEAN
received 78 linkages and pledges for support to help The support provided to the women
grow their businesses from 24 businesses and agencies at entrepreneurs – who all have a social or community
the culmination of the 4th ASEAN-Japan Women development elements within their business models –
Entrepreneurs’ Linkage Program (AJWELP) in Brunei. includes financing, services, consultations and business
opportunities.
The 10 entrepreneurs – each representing an
ASEAN member state – received the support after Supporting company Battle Pro Marketing &
pitching yesterday at the Rizqun International Hotel Management Services offered all 10 entrepreneurs a fully
where the four-day AJWELP is being held. sponsored booth at their flagship sales festival Letop
Lebaran in 2020, worth over $15,000 cumulatively.
As this year’s host country, 21 out of 24 supporting
pool of companies are based in Brunei, covering a wide Brunei’s representative and founder women’s
range of industry sectors including logistics, food and self-defence movement Panther Guild Nor Syariena @
Nor Diyanah Abd Rahman received support from Bank
5
Usahawan, Battle Pro, Dart, Biz Digital, Eco Bumi support groups for victims of sexual harassment and
Arkitek, MMW, Royal Brunei Catering and World abuse.
Startup Festival and Baiduri Bank.
AJWELP is an annual exchange programme
organised and fully sponsored by the ASEAN-Japan
Centre that looks to develop new women-led micro,
small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from the
Southeast Asia region by providing a platform for them
to develop their businesses through training programmes
and linkages.
The other nine participants this year were: Srors
Soun Hor Rokhak of Women Handicrafts (Cambodia),
Anak Agung Ayu Sri Utami Linggih of CV Rosalie
Kalyana Bali (Indonesia), Lee Jiaxin of Bantu
(Singapore), Dalayphone Sayasithsena of SAYA Brand
(Lao PDR), Suchada Kulmongkon of Fresh and Friendly
Farm Co Ltd (Thailand), Chen Le Leng of Langit
Collective (M) Sdn Bhd (Malaysia), Iloisa Diga of
Session Groceries (the Philippines), Chaw Chaw Win
“I hope to use the support given to grow Panther Win of Together Group Co Ltd (Myanmar) and Nguyen
Guild across Brunei (to different districts) to help women Thi Nhu Ngoc of Wowmua (Vietnam).
across the country be empowered and feel more safe,”
said Nor Syariena (R), who is an instructor and
black-belt in Taekwondo. Participants are selected on the basis of their
business’ ability to address social, environmental or
economic issues their community or the region faces.
“Harassment (of women) in Brunei is more
common (than most think); according to surveys over
55% have experienced it in the workplace.” This year’s programme began with a two-day
workshop by World Startup Festival covering
entrepreneurship, leadership and presentation skills,
DARe CEO Javed Ahmad said the growth of social which readied participants for pitching on the third day.
enterprises and women-led businesses in Brunei and the Site visits to women-led businesses Fuel’d and
wider region is paving the way forward for more Tarbiyyah were held on the final day.
inclusive socio-economic development.
Local partners for this year’s AJWELP were
“The ideas presented here today were not just DARe as co-organiser and Le Voeu Events Company as
about making money, but looking at addressing real event manager.
issues facing with region with real solutions,” he said at
the networking dinner on February 12, 2020.
Supporting Brunei-based companies also included
Archipelago Group, BIBD, Biz Advize, Cityneon,
“We are committed to work closely with relevant D’sunlit, Dynamik Technologies, Globex Global
organizations including regional partners to not just bring Logistics, Gongcha Brunei, Hoco Creative Company,
best practices home but also to create opportunities and LiveWire Brunei, MC Biotech, Mitsubishi Corporation
bridge network among ASEAN entrepreneurs and (Brunei) and Radisson Hotel (Brunei). International
ecosystem drivers and beyond.” supporters included Philippine’s Cheers Corporation and
Japan’s Asia Leaders Association.
Aside from practical self-defence classes, the UBD
graduate also hopes to use profits of the business to fund Biz Brunei
6
Inspiring women: U.S.-raised entrepreneur
nurtures work–life balance
By John Amari for The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) Journal
Megumi Iguchi, founder of Kanatta Inc.
E ntrepreneur Megumi Iguchi always looked up
to her parents as guiding lights for life’s journey.
From childhood, Iguchi admired her father, an
executive in a trading company, and her mother, a
What began with only a handful of members,
projects, and events today counts hundreds of supporters
and activities on its platforms. Kanatta not only has an
increasingly busy community calendar, it is also
stay-at-home mom. generating revenue.
Both, she told The ACCJ Journal, struck a good For Iguchi, this means she has taken a step closer to
balance between success at work and stability at home, the kind of work–life balance that inspired her to create
something Iguchi herself has sought to achieve. the company in the first place.
To this end, she left the corporate world to create What’s more, she is laying down plans to extend
an ecosystem that supports aspiring Kanatta’s ecosystem across Japan—and in new business
entrepreneurs—especially women. At the same time, she sectors.
has freed herself to realize her ambitions.
GLOBAL AMBITION
Kanatta Inc., the startup she founded in 2016,
promotes women via technology, financing, and
networking platforms. Iguchi is also the company’s Iguchi was born in Osaka and, due to her father’s
president. work, her family lived in Hyogo Prefecture, as well as
Yokohama and Chiba. At age seven, she and her family
relocated to the United States and lived in Connecticut
Kanatta has developed three business pillars: and Oregon for six years. They returned to Japan when
Iguchi was 13.
• Community of female drone pilots and
educators Later, she attended Yokohama National University,
• Women-only crowdfunding platform where she majored in international business. While in
• Events and networking platform for aspiring college—desiring to maintain her English—she attended
female founders
7
private lessons at the United States Fleet Activities What’s more, Iguchi noticed a distinct dearth of
Yokosuka, a US Navy base in Kanagawa Prefecture. women at the company, especially in managerial
positions.
An avid tennis player in college, it was not
uncommon for Iguchi to play the game six days a week. “I liked my job and I liked working, but I noticed
However, toward the end of her first year, she noticed that there was only one female in a management position.
something worrisome: many of her seniors were I recognized that it’s really difficult to become a manager
struggling to land jobs and a partner.”
on graduation.
At age 26, having
“I was very spent three years at the
surprised. I thought that, company, Iguchi
being in a national decided to make a
university, getting a job change. As she was
would be really easy.” interested in fashion,
her next move was to
join an international
To navigate her luxury goods maker
next steps, Iguchi sought with offices in
advice from her parents. Tokyo. She was also
Her dad advised her to attracted by the brand’s
seek a professional reputation for having
qualification even while a women-focused
still a student, which she workforce, she said.
did.
Once there, she
“That’s why I took the CPA exam to become an noticed not only that most employees were female, it was
accountant,” she explained, referring to the certified also not unusual for many of them to be mothers.
public accountant exam.
Workers were expected to leave the office at
Taking correspondence lessons in accounting around 6:00 p.m., she remembers, in part so that they
while playing tennis and being an undergrad proved too could make it home in time to enjoy their family.
demanding, however. In her second year, Iguchi left the
tennis team.
“So, my life changed a lot. It was a really good
atmosphere, and I really liked my team.”
When she graduated and simultaneously gained the
CPA qualification, it was not surprising that she would
land a job with a global professional services After two years with the brand, however, a nagging
company—even at the height of the Global Financial concern resurfaced: Iguchi noticed that, at the highest
Crisis in 2009. levels of the company, women were still scarce.
It was, in part, her experience in the workplace that “There were many women, but not in the really
moved her to leave the corporate world and create high positions,” she recalls.
Kanatta.
With her dream of balancing ambition and success
FINDING BALANCE on one hand and family on the other still in suspense,
Iguchi decided to lay plans to strike out on her own.
Iguchi began her career within the audit division of
an international accounting company in Tokyo. While INSPIRING WOMEN
she enjoyed her team and work there, the days were
extremely long and most ended with a ride on the last
train or a taxi home. During her time with the luxury brand, and with
more time in the day for herself, Iguchi reached out to
the startup ecosystem and began attending events.
“Pretty much everyone did that, so I thought that’s
what you did when you started work,” she remembers.
8
“I saw new people, because I was going home Paid by Kanatta, drone girls provide a variety of
earlier, and a lot of them had their own businesses. So, I services—such as kids’ lessons on drone piloting, video
started thinking about having my own company.” production, and programming. The community of service
providers has grown to about 100 drone girls.
Not knowing how to start a business, Iguchi at first
sought the advice of business owners in her new network. DREAM WEAVER
“I also went to a school for entrepreneurship, and they
had a lot of entrepreneurs—and people who wanted to be
one.” With the drone girls program gaining traction,
Iguchi felt it necessary to expand her business and offer
more opportunities for more women.
To that end, she transitioned from the brand and
attended a two-year course in entrepreneurship at
Shimamura Juku, a private institution in Tokyo. The accountant-turned-entrepreneur says her
background as a CPA—and the challenges she faced
financing her own company (Iguchi funded the
“They had workshops on things like team building, development of Kanatta mostly herself before raising
communication, and finance, and access to role models angel investment)—inspired her to create a
and networking events. That was really good for me.” women’s-only crowdfunding platform.
The result was Kanatta. The company, perhaps “I thought that money—or lack of it—was one of
surprisingly, initially had a focus on the drone business. the biggest things people have to overcome when they
Why? want to take on new challenges. Crowdfunding is low
risk and something that you can try.”
“I had this feeling that I wanted to create a
business that would support women and make them Iguchi created the social funding platform, also
financially independent,” Iguchi explained. called Kanatta, in 2017. To raise awareness, she hit the
events trail in Tokyo, delivering lectures about
crowdfunding platforms and the benefits such funding
While Iguchi had an interest in drones, she didn’t can offer women.
have extensive knowledge of them. To bridge this gap,
she enlisted the support of a friend who was a drone
pilot. “At the first event, only one person came,” she
remembers ruefully. “It was like a private class,” she
laughs.
Hearing her friend’s stories about piloting drones,
Iguchi wondered if there might be opportunities for other
women to do the same. There were. After six months or so, the number of
attendees—mostly self-employed women who wanted to
accelerate their business or people interested in
Kanatta began recruiting participants who would crowdfunding—began to increase.
eventually create the company’s first female drone
piloting team, called Drone Jo Plus—or “Drone Girls
Plus.” But that isn’t to say there were no challenges. During such presentations, attendees and Iguchi
herself learned valuable lessons. For attendees, there was
the realization that crowdfunding is not just a platform
“I started by inviting my friends, and then they for financing projects; it is also a method of creating
brought their friends. But it’s not like the number of buzz around a product or service, or a way to test the
participants just increased—for the first few years, we market.
had a really hard time [attracting people]. But then the
members finally increased.”
For Iguchi, there was the understanding that,
because most entrepreneurs in Japan are men, there
The community’s initial goal was to train women really weren’t that many opportunities for aspiring
to become self-employed drone pilots. As things have women founders to meet.
turned out, most of them have kept their day jobs,
choosing instead to supplement their income as drone
pilot educators. To make up for the latter, in 2018 Iguchi founded a
third pillar for her business—a networking event
platform for women called Kanatta Salon.
9
Looking ahead, she is quietly confident about the which is derived from the Japanese phrase, yume ga
future and the ecosystem she is creating. “I don’t know if kanatta: Dreams come true.
this will be realized in five years, but my vision is to
have lots of startups starting from Kanatta. It would be
best if people from our community began starting their Custom Media publishes The ACCJ Journal for the
own business—especially ones owned by women.” American Chamber of Commerce in Japan.
This vision is in accord with the company’s name, Japan Today
Female social entrepreneurs in Asia can tap new accelerator
by Deutsche Bank, Ashoka
The Business Times
Deutsche Bank will also provide financial resources for the programme. Photo: Reuters
F emale social entrepreneurs in Asia will receive
greater support, with a new accelerator programme
launched by global social enterprise enabler
Ashoka, in partnership with Deutsche Bank.
"Women entrepreneurs are an important source of
innovation and job creation, but too often they do not
have equal access to capital and business networks they
need to sustain and expand their businesses. The Made
for Good Accelerator for Women aims to change that
The Made for Good Accelerator for Women is and I am delighted to be a mentor in this changemaker
"Asia's first social investment accelerator programme programme," said Ms Liow.
that aims to build a thriving ecosystem for female social
entrepreneurship", both companies said in a press The accelerator will support three female social
statement on Monday (March 2, 2020). entrepreneurs through a nine-month-long bootcamp, as
they prepare to expand their operations and impact, with
Each social entrepreneur will be supported by a view to becoming investment-ready, said Ashoka and
mentors within Ashoka and Deutsche Bank networks, Deutsche Bank.
two of whom are Singapore-based female managing
directors from Deutsche Bank - head of information Ms Park Yuhyun from DQI Institute is based in
security Sunila Shivpuri as well as head of corporate and Singapore and hopes to empower young children to
investment bank operations Caroline Liow. become responsible digital citizens; Ms Levana Sani
from Nalgenetics, who is based in Indonesia and
Deutsche Bank will also provide financial Singapore, is creating a low-cost molecular diagnostics
resources for the programme, the bank said, without tool that can address public health issues; while Ms
disclosing the amount. Amanda Kiessel from Good Market who is based in Sri
Lanka, is building a global online platform for social
enterprises and responsible businesses to connect.
10In February, Ashoka kicked off the programme Where relevant, participants will be coached to
with a virtual bootcamp over two days, as the pursue the most appropriate hybrid corporate structure to
face-to-face meeting was cancelled due to Covid-19, a attract both investment and philanthropic donations
spokesman told The Business Times on March 2. efficiently, the companies said.
The programme will culminate in a pitch event in
Among other things, mentors and social Singapore in September 2020, where the social
entrepreneurs will have access to resources on financial entrepreneurs will be able to present in front of
models, designing an investment deck and legal impact-minded investors, corporates and foundations,
structuring. The accelerator programme consists of said Ashoka and Deutsche Bank.
learning modules, continuing with a six-month online
mentoring programme via a video conferencing tool and The Straits Times
email.
Digital lifeline for women running Asia's small businesses
By Beh Lih Yi
W hen the coronavirus stopped her husband
working, Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc’s small
business of selling cosmetics from home
became the main income for this Vietnamese family of
Although lockdowns have eased in many cities,
experts said continued social distancing would push
more businesses online, highlighting a need for digital
skills among vulnerable groups.
four.
But her business took a hit as, unlike many
micro-entrepreneurs, she could not exploit online
platforms and deliveries beyond her personal Facebook
page.
Ngoc is typical of millions of small business
women in the region who are keen to earn but feel locked
out of a digital revolution that has mostly helped young
men in cities.
“I don’t know how to use Facebook to attract more
customers. It was a real headache,” the 39-year-old
mother told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone
from Vinh Phuc province, near the capital Hanoi.
The $3.3-million programme starts in June 2020
Now help is at hand, offering hope of a way and is funded by Google. Most trainees are women and
through the crisis and laying the foundations for better young entrepreneurs, spanning 10 countries including
business beyond. Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Ngoc will get digital training under a scheme for
200,000 people across Southeast Asia, part of efforts to “The importance of digital literacy has never been
close a digital gap that mostly hurts women and those in greater,” said Marija Ralic from Google.org,
rural communities. philanthropic arm of the U.S. tech giant which gives
more than $100 million in grants each year to support
innovation and technology.
DIGITAL GAP
“We know the current outbreak has left many
The coronavirus pandemic has threatened businesses in vulnerable situations, especially those in
businesses around the globe, but the lack of digital rural and under-served communities,” said the head of its
know-how has exacerbated the risk for small businesses, Asia-Pacific office.
many led by women in Southeast Asia.
11Training covers a host of skills, be it how to pin a WOMEN LOCKED OUT
business site on a map, use chat messaging or beef up
security.
The Asia Foundation, a U.S.-based charity that
runs the training, said the region’s most connected
citizens were urban men and it was important to ensure
women were not left behind.
Boys are 1.5 times more likely to own a phone
than girls and the proportion of women using the internet
globally is 48%, against 58% of men, according to the
United Nations.
Yet U.N. data shows there are more than 61 million
women entrepreneurs who own and run businesses
across Southeast Asia.
For Thai seamstress Noraeri Thungmueangthong,
an indigenous entrepreneur who sells traditional woven “They often don’t get as many opportunities,”
clothes, the digital training could inject new life into her Meloney Lindberg, who leads the initiative at the charity,
ancient craft. said by phone from Cambodia. “What we are doing is to
bring the opportunity to their neighbourhood.”
“We sell about five pieces a month now. I hope
technology can help my business grow and help our Thomson Reuters Foundation
community,” said the 45-year-old from the ethnic Karen
group, a hill tribe people.
Women empowering women: How Australian volunteers are
supporting gender equality in Papua New Guinea
International Women’s Day on 8 March provides an opportunity to acknowledge
three women who, through the Australian Volunteers Program, are working with
organisations to empower women in Papua New Guinea.
G ender equality is an explicit, internationally
recognised human right. Yet across the world
women are experiencing power – and the abuse
of power – in many different ways. Where you live, how
selling goods at markets and on the street side. HELP
Resources is a local NGO that is helping to give a voice
to these women by supporting them to organise and
create a dialogue with government and decision-makers.
much you earn, your sexuality, your race: each
determines individual experiences of a global problem. While the work of women in Papua New Guinea
plays an integral role to the wellbeing of families –
In Papua New Guinea the challenges facing helping pay for education and healthcare and putting
women are emblematic of those being faced elsewhere, food on the table – as with many countries, women
such as low representation in government and business, operate in a context of family and structural violence.
barriers to education, and sexual and family violence.
But there are many organisations challenging existing “No family, community, society or country can
practices and driving new, more equitable ways forward. progress when women’s work, and their contribution to
the economy and welfare, are ignored,” says Elizabeth
Cox, an Australian volunteer and mentor at HELP
Giving a voice to women market sellers Resources.
Up to 85 per cent of women in Papua New Guinea “Papua New Guinea has a constitution, and
earn their livelihood from the informal economy, mostly policies and laws to limit discrimination and oppression.
12Civil society has an important part to play in “Work to support women’s health directly supports
implementation – making women’s lives and greater participation by women in many aspects of life –
contributions visible, valuable and safe.” this work lies at the heart of equity,” Deb says.
This is where HELP Resources is stepping in. With TTU are tackling this challenge through public
their support, more than 600 market and street traders in health and community engagement: helping people
Wewak have organised the first provincial vendors prevent illness and be less reliant on medicine and health
association. services. The organisation is helping change behaviours
around water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and runs
The members, who are predominantly women, are a comprehensive “Safe Motherhood” program, which
informing themselves about the constitution and laws to trains village health volunteers and community-based
be better able to engage with local leaders, and influence health volunteers, who are almost exclusively women.
the way the informal economy is planned and developed.
They are currently petitioning government to provide The empowerment experienced by the village
functioning toilets, reliable water, better shelter from the health volunteers is tangible: one program participant
tropical weather, and safer spaces. was recently elected as a local government councillor in
her district.
“This is a significant and brave step forward,”
Elizabeth says. “In a country with low numbers of women
participating in governance this is a very significant
Putting women at the centre of their own health and achievement, and directly attributable to TTU’s excellent
wellbeing work,” Deb says.
“Putting Papua New Guinean women at the centre
Women in Papua New Guinea also carry a high of their own lives and needs, accompanied by power and
burden of disease due to their economic, political and resources, is useful, constructive and sustainable
social position. development.”
Low immunisation rates for babies and children
are a prime example. When children get sick, it is Empowering women to improve water and sanitation
women who are most impacted, taking up the bulk of the practices
care burden. Papua New Guinea also has high rates of
maternal mortality, which has a profound impact on Like Deb, Karen Heyward has supported WASH
women, families, and communities across the country. projects, and recently volunteered with WaterAid in
Wewak.
Deb Chapman is volunteering with Touching The
Untouchables (TTU), a small, health-focused NGO that Karen recognised her work to support improved
supports women, based in Goroka in the scenic hygiene and sanitation practices was happening in an
highlands. environment where the right for women to be educated,
financially independent, safe, and to have a voice in how
13the community runs, was not being recognised – by are uniquely placed to support gender equality
neither men nor women. outcomes.
The team surveyed WASH facilities through a “Volunteers integrate themselves in communities,
gender and disability focused lens. It became apparent working alongside local teams, and taking the role of
that women were integral to the improvement of WASH mentors and advisors,” Sharon says.
facilities and behaviours, and needed to be involved in
the decision-making process. “They support people and teams to build their own
capacity from behind the scenes, instead of running the
From the beginning of the project WaterAid show.”
formed a committee with women’s representatives from
each of the district’s wards, a critical step towards giving The Australian Volunteers Program works from a
women a voice, and the community recognising that they capacity development approach. This means that
have a say. volunteers begin their assignments by first understanding
the cultural context that their partner organisation works
“Empowering women is important, and any in.
decisions made without consultation from women
representatives are not truly representative of what the It is this understanding that is critical. It allows
community needs,” Karen says. learning to be a two-way process, and for volunteers to
work in a way that is respectful of local culture;
“There are leaders at all levels who are eager to particularly relevant in such a culturally diverse country
improve the lives of their communities… it is a good as Papua New Guinea.
time for capacity building and mentoring because people
are wanting change.” “Because of this, volunteers become part of a
community and support the process of change in ways
that are responsive to local needs,” says Sharon.
Volunteers have a unique role to play
“They also build such deep relationships with
Sharon Rawlings works with the Australian colleagues and communities, uniquely placing them to
Volunteers Program, developing partnerships with a support gender equality outcomes.”
range of organisations overseas, many of which are Pro Bono Australia
supporting women’s empowerment. She says volunteers
United Nations launches project to boost women’s
entrepreneurship in Viet Nam
T he United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in
partnership with Global Affairs Canada and the
Ministry of Planning and Investment, Viet Nam,
launched on February 17, 2020 a new project to support
poverty reduction, social well-being and sustainable
economic growth.
The five-year project titled ‘Catalyzing Women’s
Entrepreneurship: Creating a Gender-Responsive
the growth of women entrepreneurs as a strategy for Entrepreneurial Ecosystem’ aims to create an enabling
14policy and business environment that enhances women ESCAP; and Mr. Kamal Malhotra, United Nations
entrepreneurs’ access to capital through innovative Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam.
financing mechanisms as well as increase their use of
ICT and digital solutions. The project is undertaken with “Women-led enterprises have made important
the financial support of the Government of Canada contributions to Viet Nam’s social and economic
provided through Global Affairs Canada. development. With greater equitable access to resources
(capital, land, technology, information) and an improved
“Developing women’s entrepreneurship can boost favorable gender-responsive business climate, they could
Viet Nam’s economy as well as empowering women. further overcome the conscious and unconscious biases
Women entrepreneurs are true agents of change whose and constraints that limit their potential, then they could
innovations can lift companies, communities, and grow stronger and contribute to more inclusive and
countries. That’s why governments, the United Nations, sustainable growth in Viet Nam,” said Mr. Vu Dai Thang,
civil society and the private sector are joining forces in Vice Minister, Ministry of Planning and Investment of
this area to improve women’s and girls’ prospects in our Viet Nam.
region” said United Nations Under-Secretary-General
and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Ms. Armida Salsiah "Empowering women is a critical means of
Alisjahbana on the occasion. reducing global poverty. In Viet Nam, Canada helps
improve women's participation in economic
In recent years, Viet Nam has made significant decision-making, and supports female entrepreneurs to
progress regarding its socio-economic status. Small and grow their businesses. Canada's partnership with ESCAP
medium enterprises (SMEs) are vital to Viet Nam’s will contribute to economic inclusion and advance
economic growth, accounting for more than 98 per cent opportunities for women-led start-ups and female
of all business, 40 per cent of GDP and 50 per cent of entrepreneurship in Viet Nam and other countries across
total employment. Yet women are estimated to own only Asia Pacific,” said Ambassador of Canada to Viet Nam,
21 per cent of formal enterprises and face various Ms. Deborah Paul.
barriers to entrepreneurship, which include, amongst
others, limited access to finance and ICT infrastructure, The launch and consultation brought together more
lack of financial and business knowledge, and than 80 policy makers, MSME representatives and other
discriminatory social norms. Overcoming these stakeholders. The consultation focused on integrating
challenges is essential to unlocking the potential of many women’s needs and considerations into policy
women to manifest their full economic aspirations and development, financial inclusion measures at all levels,
capacities for building better livelihoods, prosperous creating an enabling environment and ICT solutions.
communities and thriving societies. These measures aim to contribute towards gender
equality, poverty reduction and economic growth in
The formal launch of the project in Viet Nam was support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
officiated by Mr. Vu Dai Thang, Vice Minister, Ministry Development.
of Planning and Investment of Viet Nam; Ms. Deborah
Paul, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
Canada to Viet Nam; Ms. Cai Cai, Chief of Gender and The United Nations Economic and Social Commission
Social Inclusion Section, Social Development Division, for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Press Release
How Women Entrepreneurs Are Riding Out the
COVID-19 Lockdown
By Aekta Kapoor
A s COVID-19 puts a halt to the wheels of
economies worldwide, five entrepreneurs and
self-employed women in India share their
experiences.
and social welfare.
Besides the lives lost, the coronavirus pandemic of
2020 will leave an indelible mark in history for the
global lockdowns it has triggered. For sure, micro, small
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will be the worst hit
unimaginable. It has put global governments in a by the lockdown in India. This is disquieting as 6.3 crore
quandary, businesses in a fix, and revealed the cracks in non-agricultural MSMEs in India employ 11 crore
social and economic systems that prioritise corporate people, who will now shoulder the major brunt of the
profit and defence expenditure over health, education lockdown and, many predict, will not be able to reach
15pre-lockdown revenues for months or even years. RADHIKA MITTAL & MADHVI PITTIE
Recycled collectibles, Mumbai
In a scenario where men dominate the labour force,
where women earn only 80 percent of male wages for the
same work, and where women spend 577 percent more
time on unpaid domestic work than men, the few women
who own or run enterprises are outliers and pathbreakers.
Women own 20 percent of micro enterprises, 5 percent
small enterprises, and less than 3 percent medium
enterprises in India. Economic slowdowns and
pandemic-induced shutdowns will hit them the hardest
too.
We speak to five women across sectors to
understand the lockdown’s impact on their business. For
sure there is loss, but could there be a course-correction Jaipur-born sisters Radhika Khaitan Mittal, 34, and
and opportunity too in this crisis? Madhvi Khaitan Pittie, 32, launched WorkshopQ in 2010
as a home décor and gift products retailer that uses
VANDANA BHAGAT entirely recycled and upcycled raw materials in the
Salon owner, Delhi production process. Except for marriage or maternity
breaks, their social enterprise has done well for itself.
Until a month ago, the Mumbai-based sisters had three
major projects to work on, including an art installation at
Mumbai International Airport that was to be created out
of recycled waste, and an order from Ford to make gifts
out of scrap material from their automobile plants.
All projects are on hold now. “Our contact at
Mumbai Airport estimates the situation may last till
December,” shares Radhika. The entrepreneur duo plan
to pay staffers till May and then, if lockdown continues,
they may have to stop. “The Prime Minister says we
must keep paying salaries. But how? We are not getting
Vandana Bhagat launched her beauty studio, relief from anywhere.”
Vannity Salon, in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar neighbourhod 11
years ago. It was the first salon in its market complex, The lockdown can go two ways for WorkshopQ,
but since then, several more have sprung up. “And yet, she predicts: “Either people will realise how important
our customers have stuck with us,” says the 52-year-old sustainability is, and we’ll get more interest from those
mother of two. But while Vandana was able to hold her looking to recycle waste products. Or it will cause so
own amidst competition from even international salon much loss that no one will be able to afford a CSR
chains, she could never have foreseen the coronavirus budget anymore. We will have to adapt themselves to the
lockdown that has completely shuttered her business. new world.”
Vannity Salon closed its doors on March 19, a few
days before Prime Minister Modi announced a SHWETA GHAI
three-week nationwide lockdown starting March 24, later Travel agency, Delhi
extended to May 3. “We don’t know when we will open
again,” sighs Vandana stoically. “This is a business based
on human touch and physical proximity. It will definitely
be on the radar of the authorities. Even if I invest more
on personal protection gear and disposable tools for my
staff, it is not a guarantee of protection from coronavirus.
Besides, customers may stop visiting salons now.”
With zero revenue, Vandana is struggling to pay
staff salaries. It pains her as some of them have been
with her for over a decade. “There is only more bad news
every day. We can only pray,” she says. Once the Shweta Ghai, 37, joined her husband’s travel
lockdown ends, she may reduce operations to half and agency Trip India Travel in 2010, and since then has
take up another business in the future. been instrumental in the company’s growth and move
16into the digital space. The firm offers companies a fully every day when coronavirus struck.
online booking system and a credit model for bulk
bookings. Ever since the lockdown, business is down to “I shut the classes on March 13, and, frankly, I was
zero, and they are struggling to pay salaries and office lost. We live in a rented flat. My husband and I are
rent. self-employed. Both our incomes became a trickle,” she
says. Pooja decided to take her classes online on Zoom
“We’re lucky that we have 60 percent corporate with her husband’s help. She offered a week of free
clients and that most of our system is online,” says sessions, sometimes to over 100 people, and then from
Shweta. Though Indian families won’t be going on April 1, began charging a monthly fee. About 50 students
vacations for a while, their business clients will resume signed up from all across the world purely through word
domestic travel as soon as lockdown is lifted. Even so, of mouth.
she believes she will have to re-strategise their revenue
model. “We’ll have to get more business clients on “I believe in the magic of yoga,” she says of the
board,” she says. new opportunity in the crisis. “I now plan to continue
this model even after the lockdown.”
Shweta is pessimistic about personal travel picking
up any time soon. “We plan to tie up with hotels that are
a short drive away from big cities for the few clients who SHALINI SINGH
may still want to travel for leisure,” she says, adding that Tech startup, Bengaluru
the holiday sector has been wiped out for at least six to
eight months.
“Bigger hotels will survive by turning their
properties into quarantine centres. Smaller players –
whose peak-time revenues from the summer holiday
months are now wiped out – may not make it to the other
side of the lockdown. It’s a bad scenario for the
industry.”
POOJA CARIAPPA
Yoga studio, Mumbai
The founder of matchmaking platform
andwemet.com, Shalini Singh believes in meaningful
romances, and that marriage is only one of its final
destinations. “People are fatigued with matrimonial
platforms. We cater to global Indians looking for
long-term committed relationships,” she explains of her
portal, which was launched last year after four years of
development.
Pooja Cariappa, 42, was fit enough to run So far, the bootstrapped platform had been offered
half-marathons until she moved from Noida to Mumbai to seeking singles for free. After a year of testing and
10 years ago. “My health went for a toss,” narrates Pooja. implementing feedback from users, the website was
When all else failed to heal her, she took to yoga, and got ready to launch a subscription model this year, says
hooked. Shalini, who also runs a public-relations agency for
technology firms alongside. “We have had no revenue so
Over the next five years, she gave up her corporate far, only operating costs, as this was part of the first-year
career and studied the ancient health science, from a business plan,” she explains.
diploma in yoga therapy and naturopathy, to a Master’s
in Yogashatra, to a teacher’s training course. Finally, she The pandemic and lockdown has not affected her
began teaching yoga in her Navi Mumbai apartment. strategy. “Our team works remotely, in any case, and
“We removed all furniture from the drawing room and salaries continue to be my main expense. On the contrary,
use it as a yoga studio for about 11 or 12 people at a there is more interest in matchmaking now with singles
time,” says Pooja, who has two daughters. having more time on their hands at home. Our visitors
are going up 400 percent week on week,” laughs the
She was doing two to four hours of yoga classes 40-something Bengaluru-based entrepreneur, whose
17partner lives in the US.
The platform will carry on with its planned paid
model from May, she says. “Whatever happened has
been favourable for us.”
About Aekta Kapoor:
Editor and publisher of eShe magazine. Lifestyle
journalist and motivational speaker
eShe magazine
Asia-Pacific’s first-ever multi-country listed gender bond
series gains new support from the United Nations
Photo Credit: IIX
I mpact Investment Exchange (IIX)’s award-winning
Women’s Livelihood BondTM Series (WLB Series) –
Asia-Pacific’s first-ever multi-country gender bond
series to be listed on a stock exchange - has gained new
support the United Nations Economic and Social
ESCAP, UNCDF and the Rockefeller Foundation
join existing supporters including the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID), the
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(DFAT), ANZ, Standard Chartered, DBS, Shearman &
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), United Sterling, Hogan Lovells, Latham & Watkins, Cyril
Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the Amarchand Mangaldas, UN Women, and more.
Rockefeller Foundation.
“2020 will be a critical milestone in accelerating
IIX successfully closed the US$12 million progress for women's economic empowerment across the
Women’s Livelihood Bond 2 (WLB2), IIX’s second Asia-Pacific region. We are proud to announce our
multi-country gender bond to be listed on the Singapore partnership with IIX’s Women’s Livelihood Bond Series,
Exchange. WLB2 will create sustainable livelihoods for which embodies the bold innovations that are needed to
more than 250,000 underserved women in the region. advance progress for the world’s poorest communities,”
This is the second bond in IIX’s award-winning WLB said United Nations Under-Secretary-General and
Series, which boasts investors from the U.S., Asia, Executive Secretary of ESCAP Ms. Armida Salsiah
Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Alisjahbana.
18The US$150+ million WLB Series are debt investors, bringing critical funding to women-focused
securities that will create sustainable livelihoods for over enterprises in Southeast Asia,” shared the Rockefeller
2 million women across Asia through innovative finance. Foundation’s Managing Director of Innovative Finance,
The WLB Series are the first listed gender lens bonds for Lorenzo Bernasconi.
several countries in Asia, including Indonesia, India, Sri
Lanka, and Cambodia. The WLB Series’ key innovations IIX’s CEO and Founder, Durreen Shahnaz, said:
include: (1) being the world’s first gender lens “IIX’s Women’s Livelihood BondTM Series is setting
instrument listed on a stock exchange; (2) creating a deep the stage for a new gender-empowered financial system
impact investment product suitable for institutions and where women are truly valued and given a voice.
private banking clients; and (3) demonstrating scalability Starting with the Asia Pacific, we are building an entire
and replicability across geographies and sectors. ecosystem for gender lens investing by bringing together
governments, businesses, multilateral organizations, and
Private investors in the WLB Series will benefit most importantly, investors, for women’s empowerment.
from first loss capital provided by The Rockefeller Having demonstrated the success of this innovative
Foundation and a 50 percent loan portfolio guarantee financial product, we will be launching a series of bonds
provided by the United States Agency for International across new sectors and markets in 2021.”
Development (USAID). ESCAP and UNCDF, with
financial support provided by the Government of Canada Demonstrating the scalability and replicability of
through Global Affairs Canada, are providing additional the WLB Series, IIX will be launching the third
funding to scale-up the WLB Series. This support Women’s Livelihood BondTM (WLB3) in 2020, and will
extends the long-standing IIX partnership with USAID, build on the success of the WLB2 by expanding to
which played a significant role in the success of the first include more countries and new sectors. The WLB2 is
Women’s Livelihood BondTM 1. the first ICMA and ASEAN Capital Markets certified
Social Bond focused on women’s empowerment.
Judith Karl, Executive Secretary of UNCDF said:
“The United Nations Capital Development Fund is glad Note to Editors:
to support the IIX Women’s Livelihood Bond. Our work,
as a UN agency dedicated to making finance work for
About ESCAP’s Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship
the poor, depends on innovations like this one that we
Programme
help to test, roll out, and scale up. We are glad to work
ESCAP supports IIX’s Women’s Livelihood Bond
with IIX, United Nations ESCAP, The Rockefeller through its regional programme initiative titled
Foundation and other key partners to demonstrate that ‘Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship: Creating a
viable investment vehicles can be created to attract
Gender-Responsive Entrepreneurial Ecosystem’ which is
finance from the international capital markets to the
funded by the Government of Canada through Global
countries and people that need it most.”
Affairs Canada. Support to IIX is implemented in
partnership with UNCDF. The Catalyzing Women’s
“As one of the first supporters of Impact Entrepreneurship programme aims to support the growth
Investment Exchange, we are excited to participate in the of women entrepreneurs in the Asia-Pacific region
second Women’s Livelihood Bond. The Women’s through addressing challenges faced at three levels:
Livelihood Bond products are a prime example of enabling policy environment, access to finance and use
catalytic capital at work – where risk-tolerant, of ICT for entrepreneurship.
impact-prioritizing funding is leveraged to unlock private
sector capital. In this case, Rockefeller’s investment is United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
expected to be amplified at least ten times by private
Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Press Release
Engaging women in trade: Policy and financial constraints
By Ferdaus Ara Begum
W omen in Business (WiB) can be considered as
an important driver for ensuring gender
equality and women empowerment. Without
engaging women in economic and entrepreneurial
them as self-sustained. Women Entrepreneurs (WE)
specially establish entrepreneurship at a small scale
because of so many social and financial constraints, but
they mostly suffer because of policy-induced constraints,
activities at a significant level, it is not possible to attain finance and often cannot compete with large-scale
inclusive development. Countries have taken different entrepreneurs. Several surveys have found that man-led
policies to engage women in different activities to brand
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